


New Year's Day

by MenthaLightfoot



Category: Latin Hetalia - Fandom
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-29
Updated: 2015-12-29
Packaged: 2018-05-10 05:26:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,169
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5572609
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MenthaLightfoot/pseuds/MenthaLightfoot
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Martín, Manuel, and Daniel undertake a dare on New Year’s Eve.</p>
            </blockquote>





	New Year's Day

**Author's Note:**

> Finally posting this on here, just in time for New Year's! I can't believe it's been a year since I wrote this! 
> 
> Also available on Tumblr: http://menthalightfoot.tumblr.com/post/106988272570/otp-challenge-day-14-new-years-day

The whole neighborhood had showed up to their party. The smell of asado filled the air, and if Martín’s stomach weren’t full to bursting, he would get another plate. He stretched his legs lazily, shoved another piece of turrón in his mouth, and gazed up at the stars.

He, Daniel, and Manu were lounging in three fold-up chairs, discussing a tradition that their neighbor’s son, who was studying at university, had told them about. “When the clock turns to midnight on New Year’s Day, you’re supposed to kiss someone. Usually your husband or girlfriend or something. But if you’re a little drunk, and you don’t know anyone there, you might kiss a stranger.”

“Who would want to do something like that?” Manu said. “With someone you don’t even know? Who knows where those lips have been?”

“It sounds kind of fun,” Daniel giggled. He grinned, and pointed at them. “Dare you both to do it! Find someone to kiss at midnight!”

Martín smirked. “So you’ll be kissing Miguel, right Manu?”

Manu turned bright red. “No way! I don’t like him! Stop acting like I like him!” Martín raised an eyebrow. Miguel had been only a few steps away from Manu ever since he’d shown up at the party, and unlike their usual angry exchanges, Manu’s voice was quiet, telling him to leave them alone with barely any of his normal fire. Something was definitely up between them.

Manu looked over his shoulder, and Martín followed his eyes. Miguel was sitting with his little brother, trying to balance a peanut on his nose. When he saw Manuel looking at him, he sat up and broke into a huge grin, waving like a maniac. Julio rolled his eyes and hid his face in his hands.

He almost didn’t believe his ears when Manu answered. “All right.” _I knew it!_ “But,” Manu smiled evilly, “ _You_ have to kiss da Silva.”

The hairs on the back of Martín’s neck stood up. “What?”

Dani laughed. “Come on, Martín. You aren’t afraid, are you?”

“I’m not afraid!”

“So then do it,” Manu said, staring him down. “Kiss him at midnight.”

He glanced over at Luciano uncertainly. He and Sebas were sitting in the strip of grass next to the road, talking in Portuguese, while Luciano tossed his football up and down. He was wearing all white clothes, and they made him glow in the half-darkness of the street. His grin made Martín’s stomach feel fluttery. He could do it. Da Silva should be so lucky, if someone as amazing as him would kiss him. But of course, he was ungrateful about everything nice Martín tried to do for him, and would probably get mad. Ever since the da Silvas moved to the neighborhood, Luciano had been a constant annoyance. Martín was more than ready to make friends—Luciano apparently loved football as much as Martín, and he was the first boy their age to move to the neighborhood in a long time. But Luciano had been nothing but petty and spiteful. The first time he’d hung out with them, Martín had offered him just a little advice on the way he was kicking the ball. Luciano had snapped at him, saying he wasn’t interested in his stupid Argentine ideas about football. Martín had grabbed the ball (it was his, after all), and marched off the field. Because he wouldn’t want to infect Luciano’s precious Brazilian feet with an Argentine ball.

But he and Sebas became fast friends, because Sebas spoke Portuguese. They were always talking together, and it ticked Martín off, because he couldn’t understand, and what if they were talking about him? Besides, he and Sebas were supposed to be closer than anybody (their neighbors were always cooing about how they could be twins, rather than cousins), and now Sebas was spending all his time with _Lu_.

Still, there was something about Luciano that nagged at Martín, driving him crazy. Like the times that Luciano was nice to him—he could be really fun, always smiling and laughing and telling jokes. Why couldn’t he be like that all the time? Lately, he and Luciano had been spending more time together, even without Sebas, kicking around a ball, or helping Luciano with his Spanish, or playing video games together. And sometimes he would see Luciano looking at him in a weird way. He didn’t know what it meant.

“Fine. I’ll…I’ll kiss him, if you kiss Miguel.”

“I’m going to kiss Julio!” Daniel declared. He was so loud, Julio looked up, hearing his name.

Martín covered Daniel’s big mouth with his hand. “No you are not.” Like hell he was going to let that unworthy pipsqueak anywhere near his cousin.

“You can’t tell me what to do,” Daniel said, prying his hand away.

“Its for your own good.”

They started talking about something else, but the uneasy feeling dug itself into Martín’s stomach. He kept looking over at Luciano. Luciano finally caught him at it. He made a face, and Martín wrinkled his nose and made one back. Luciano laughed, and a smile lingered on his face, his eyes going soft. _There it is again. Why is he looking at me like that?_

Daniel got more and more jumpy as it got closer to midnight. “Don’t forget, no chickening out! I’m going to go find Julio!”

Martín grit his teeth. “Dani, stay away from him! I’ll skin him if he touches you!” But he had already disappeared. He and Manuel stared at each other for a minute.

“Well,” Manuel said, “I guess I’m going to go find Miguel.”

Martín’s stomach turned. “Yeah.”

“Good luck.”

Manu hesitated as he turned away, and Martín wanted badly to ask if they would both agree not to do it. But he didn’t. He wouldn’t chicken out.

Manu went off, and Martín was alone.

Luciano was still sitting on the grass with his ball. Martín braced himself, and went to sit next to him. Luciano smiled. “Hey. Sebas and I were trying to figure out what you guys were talking about over there. Dani looked way too happy for it to be anything good.”

“Nothing. We weren’t talking about anything, really.” He swallowed. “Except Dani was trying to find a way to sneak off with Miguel’s little brother. Did Sebas go to find him?”

“Yeah, I think so. You guys shouldn’t be so hard on Julio, he’s a nice guy.”

Martín preened. “He’s not good enough for my cousin.”

Luciano shook his head. “Nothing’s good enough for you, Martín.”

_What the hell is that supposed to mean? Why does he always say stuff like that?_ He pursed his lips, and let it pass. Luciano pointed up at the sky. “It’s so clear out tonight! I love seeing the stars. Back home, you could never see them because the lights from the city were so bright.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. But I do miss being on the beach.”

Martín shrugged. “But I bet you’ve never been to a party as great as this one.”

Luciano raised one eyebrow. “Are you kidding? The parties in Rio are the best! But if I have to be somewhere else, here is pretty nice.” It fell silent after that. Luciano looked at him, expecting him to say something or have a snappy comeback, but Martín was so nervous he couldn’t think of anything good. Luciano went back to looking at the stars, and Martín took the opportunity to look at him from the corner of his eye. His hair looked shorter and neater than before; his mother must have cut his hair. His body radiated heat, and Martín felt tense, just knowing how close he was.

Someone called out, “it’s time! One more minute!” Luciano grinned at him. “Make sure you make a wish, okay? Maybe it will come true. It is a new year, after all.”

When it was ten seconds before the hour, everyone started counting down. _Well, this is it._ Martín nudged Luciano’s shoulder. “Hey.”

“Five!”

Luciano looked at him. “What?”

“Four!”

The words froze in Martín’s mouth. Luciano waited expectantly, his eyes glancing up again when he didn’t speak.

“Three! Two!”

Martín took Luciano’s face in his hands, and smashed their mouths together.

“One! _Happy New Year!_ ”

Luciano gawked at him, his eyes wide. His lips were stiff against Martín’s, and they both jumped a little when the first round of fireworks exploded.

Martín pulled away, his face feeling like it was on fire. He waited for Luciano to start screaming at him, but there was nothing but the sound of fireworks, and everyone around them cheering.

Luciano seemed to find his voice. “What was that for?”

“I…” He shrugged, and looked at his feet.

“Do you…like me or something?” Luciano’s voice was oddly quiet, quieter than Martín had ever heard it before.

“No!”

Luciano’s expression turned dark, his upper lip curling into a snarl. “So what, you’re just trying to mess with me? What’s wrong with you? You don’t just go around kissing people!”

“I wasn’t!”

“Then what did you do that for?”

“I don’t know!” Martín wanted to die. This was a huge mistake. Luciano was silent. Martín could feel him staring, but he kept his eyes firmly on his knees, on the grass stains he’d gotten from playing football earlier. He felt a whisper of a touch on his cheek, and he turned his head.

Lu was right there, his head tilted to the side, and suddenly they were kissing again. This time, Luciano’s lips moved gently against his, and his thumb stroked the line of his cheekbone. Martín leaned a little closer, and Luciano slid his hand back to cup his cheek. When he pulled away, Martín was out of breath.

Luciano watched his face carefully. Martín’s eyesight came back into focus.

He gazed into Lu’s liquid brown eyes. “What?”

He turned away, and ripped up a bit of the grass between them. “You shouldn’t go around kissing people like that. You caught me off my guard.”

Martín just stared at him. Luciano looked back up at the stars. “I should probably get home. We’ll talk later, all right? And don’t think that I’ll let you get all weird about it, or start avoiding me or anything.” He set his eyes on Martín again. “Sebas didn’t tell you anything, did he?”

“Sebas? What does Sebas have to do with anything?”

Luciano nodded. “Okay. I’ll see you, all right, Martín?” He kissed Martín’s cheek lightly. “And happy New Year.”

Martín watched him stand up and walk back towards his parents’ house. He turned around once, looking over his shoulder and grinning in his usual way. And then he went out of sight.

_What was_ that _?!?_ Martín stared at the place where he disappeared for a few minutes, and gently touched his cheek with his hand. It was still warm from Luciano’s touch (or was he blushing?) Eventually he pushed himself up, and still looking in the general direction where Lu had gone, went to find Manu and Dani.

Miguel was sitting next to Manuel, his arm around his shoulders and stars in his eyes. Manu looked seriously annoyed, but didn’t push his arm away or yell at him. “So, how are you two?” He asked, trying to keep his grin sly and push down the confused feelings in his stomach.

Miguel grinned, and tightened his arm around Manuel’s shoulders. “You’ll never believe it Martín! Manuel and I are in love!”

Manu’s face started turning red. “I kissed you on the cheek, that doesn’t mean we’re in love!”

Martín wanted to punch Manuel in the nose. “Wait, on the cheek? That’s totally cheating!”

“You never said I had to kiss him on the lips!” His face paled. “You…you didn’t kiss Luciano on the lips, did you?”

Martín didn’t say anything. Manu turned white, and Miguel gasped. “You kissed Luciano? That’s amazing! Manu, we can go on double dates with them!”

“For the last time, this does not mean we are together!”

“Yeah, well, I wouldn’t hold your breath,” Martín said. “Where’s Dani?”

“I’m not sure, we haven’t seen him.”

Martín glared at Miguel. “Then where’s the little rat?”

Miguel’s eyes turned hard. “Leave Julio alone!”

It gave Martín something to think about that was not Luciano, or the conversation they were going to have, or what the hell Sebas had to do with any of this. “If he dared to put a finger on Daniel, I’ll rip him to shreds.” He went looking through every spot Dani might have hidden, with Miguel close behind, intent on protecting his little brother from harm.

They finally found them hiding underneath Señora Torres’ back porch. Julio and Dani were thoroughly wrapped around each other, with Julio flat on his back and Dani lying on top of him, kissing down his neck. “There you are! Get away from him, Paz!”

Dani grabbed Julio’s hand and pulled him up, just barely dodging Martín while Miguel whooped in victory. “ _Run run run run run run_!”


End file.
